How do I search for a file that, for example, will only bring up files that begin with a, then b, then c, etc? I assume the same process will apply to any file type.
I can't remember the file name or where I placed the pics on my PC. I have 9 external hard drives. So I figured the easiest way to find them is to search in increments alphabetically since I have thousands of images.
BTW, is it the same process if I need to search for a beginning number?
Search for a Beginning File Letter (or number)
Re: Search for a Beginning File Letter (or number)
a* = a, ab, abc, aaa ...
aa* = aa, aaa, aab, aac ...
ab* = ab, aba, abb, ababab ...
1* = 1, 123, 111 ...
12* = 12, 123, 1212, 12999 ...
aa* = aa, aaa, aab, aac ...
ab* = ab, aba, abb, ababab ...
1* = 1, 123, 111 ...
12* = 12, 123, 1212, 12999 ...
Re: Search for a Beginning File Letter (or number)
Thanks! I used that method, but after scrolling for a few minutes, I realized there were too many images. I worried that It could take days to find what I was looking for. I didn't know I had so many pictures on my PC!
So what I ended up doing was to use Advance Search > Date last accessed. I remembered I saw the pics within the last 3 months or so. Using that method, I found them in a couple minutes. The funny thing is that the file name started with an "A". If I would have taken another 5 mins of scrolling, I probably would have seen them. But since I couldn't remember what it started with, I decided not to go that route.
So now, I have another question. When I searched Date last accessed, it only pulled about 20 images. I knew something was wrong. After a while, I acknowledged the notification and enabled 2 Indexing boxes and Fast date access sort. Tools > Options > Indexes Then it worked properly.
My question is, what are the pros and cons of enabling those? Will enabling them eventually slow down my PC? Why does the default setting have those unchecked? At some point, will it build up a cache that I'll have to clear out?
So what I ended up doing was to use Advance Search > Date last accessed. I remembered I saw the pics within the last 3 months or so. Using that method, I found them in a couple minutes. The funny thing is that the file name started with an "A". If I would have taken another 5 mins of scrolling, I probably would have seen them. But since I couldn't remember what it started with, I decided not to go that route.
So now, I have another question. When I searched Date last accessed, it only pulled about 20 images. I knew something was wrong. After a while, I acknowledged the notification and enabled 2 Indexing boxes and Fast date access sort. Tools > Options > Indexes Then it worked properly.
My question is, what are the pros and cons of enabling those? Will enabling them eventually slow down my PC? Why does the default setting have those unchecked? At some point, will it build up a cache that I'll have to clear out?
Re: Search for a Beginning File Letter (or number)
Pros: Instant searching and sorting.My question is, what are the pros and cons of enabling those?
Cons: More RAM usage. (8 bytes per file/folder)
How many files are you indexing? (shown in the status bar when your search is empty)
For example: 1 million files will only use an extra 8MB of RAM.
While there is extra CPU usage with date accessed indexing is should not be noticeable.Will enabling them eventually slow down my PC?
Date modified will cover most users.Why does the default setting have those unchecked?
You might find indexing date created useful too.
Only the default columns (Name,Path,Size and Date modified) are indexed by default to keep the RAM usage of Everything minimal.
No.At some point, will it build up a cache that I'll have to clear out?
Everything will only update the date accessed information when the file is modified.
You might wish to refresh your index occasionally under Tools -> Options -> Indexes -> Force Rebuild.